Headlamp, ignition, and starter switch



7, 1956 L. c. AMMLUNG, JR, ET AL 2,758,164

HEADLAMP, IGNITION AND STARTER SWITCH Filed June 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l HEAD LIGHTS I TAIL & PARKING LIGHTS HEADLIGHTS TAILL; PARKING TAIL & HEAD 3E y AL 47712:

7, 1956 c. AMMLUNG, JR., ET AL 2,758,164

HEADLAMP, IGNITION AND STARTER SWITCH Filed June 15, 1954' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent HEADLAMP, IGNITION, AND STARTER SWITCH Louis C. Amrnlung, Jr., Philadelphia, and Herman E. F. C. Lingenbrink, Hatfield, Pa., assignors, to United Specialties Company, Holmesburg, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 15, 1954, Serial No. 436,897

2 Claims. (Cl. 200-6) The present invention relates to automotive devices and more particularly to a novel switch unit for selectively controlling a plurality of electrical circuits in an automobile or motor boat.

In switches of the type to which the invention relates it is the general practice to control the ignition circuit by a switch located on the steering column or on the dash while the lamp circuits have a control point widely separated irom the location of the ignition switch. Often the lamp circuit includes a control on the floor board. All such arrangements are inconvenient, unhandy and lead to confusion and accidents by drivers.

An object of the present invention is to provide a single compact switch unit wherein ignition, starter and lamp circuits can be selectively controlled.

Another object is to provide a unit wherein a plurality of electrical circuits have terminals respectively in the same housing, and each set includes a circuit selector separate from the other set.

Another object is to provide a combination lamp switch, starter switch and ignition svw'tch mounted for selective operation by the users hand at one convenient location, that is with the hand in one position any one of the switches can be selected for use.

These and other objects of the present invention and the various features and details of the operation and construction thereof are hereinafter more fully set forth and described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a switch unit embodying one form of the present invention;

Fig. 2 represents a rear elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 represents a front elevation of the key cylinder and associated knob as exposed when the switch unit is mounted;

Fig. 4 represents a perspective of one form of switch actuator of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a face view of the switch contact plate diagrammatically indicating by small circles the oil position of the movable contactor;

Fig. 6 is the same view as Fig. 5 showing the contactor in position to close a circuit including the tail and parking lamps of an automobile;

Fig. 7 is the same view as Fig. 6 showing the contactor in position to close the circuit for the head and tail lamps;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal axial section of the switch unit;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation view of a portion of the interlock position locator shown as a hill and dale or notched camming track, showing, in section, one of the interfitting pawls in operative position;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on line 1010 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 8;

2,758,164 Patented Aug 7, 1956 Fig. 12 is :a detail sectional view taken on line 12-12 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing the contactor ring and its actuator; and

Fig. 14 is a perspective rear view of the actuator.

Referring more specifically to the drawings and initially to Figs. 1 and 2, a switch unit is shown comprising a housing 10 having. a closure 11 of insulating material at its rear end through which the respective terminals for the ignition, starting and accessory circuits project. As shown terminal 12 is for connection to the source of voltage; terminal 13 is for connection to the ignition circuit; terminal 14 is for connection to the accessories circuit; and the terminal 15 is for connection to the starting circuit. As shown the terminal 15 projects axially of the housing 10, and the terminals 12, 13 and 14 are radially arranged about the axis and arcuately spaced approximately one hundred and twenty degrees. The opposite or front end of the housing 10 is open for the passage of the usual lock cylinder 16, and has an attached annular disc 17 of insulating material forming a support for the respective terminal posts for the respective electrical circuits for the lighting system of a motor vehicle. As shown the terminal 18 is for connection to the source of voltage; the terminal 19 is for connection to the parking light circuit; the terminal 20 is for connection to the head light circuit; and the terminal 21 is for connection to the tail light circuit. As fixedly attached to the housing end, the disc 17 has its aperture encircling the cylinder 16 in coaxial spaced relation.

For energizing the respective light circuit terminals the inner face of the insulation disc 17 is provided with circumferentially arranged, spaced-apart fixed strip current conducting contacts 22, 23, 24 and 25, each preferably having an arcuate portion developed by a common radius. These contacts are respectively electrically bonded to the several light circuit terminals, as for example by rivets 27 as shown in Fig. 12.

As a means for selectively bridging the aforesaid con.- tacts in a predetermined circuit pattern, a ring contactor 28 of brass or other conducting material having, in the present instance, three button contactors 30, 31 and 32 arranged in circumferential predetermined spaced relation on its face, is juxtaposed to the inner face of the disc 17. The spacing of the button contactors is such that in OFF position of the switch each contactor lies between a pair of the terminal contacts so that none of the circuits is energized. Also this contactor spacing is such that in one ON position, the parking terminal 19 and the tail light terminal 25 are in series with the battery terminal 18, and the headlight circuit is open. In the other ON position, the headlight terminal 24 and the tail light terminal 25 are in series with the battery terminal 18, and the parking circuit is open. In Figs. 5, 6 and 7 the several positions of the contactor buttons are illustrated as small circles, as they are on the contactor not shown.

For mounting the ring contactor 28, a. bushing. 33, is provided, to enter the contactor 28 as a circumferential seat having two longitudinal recesses 34 and 35 at opposite sides respectively to seat and slidably guide two lugs 36 and 37 projecting radially inward from the ring contactor 28. Preferably the recess 34 is wider than the recess 35, and the lug 36 has a complemental width to ride therein, and the lug 37 has a complemental width to ride in the recess 35. This construction ensures the correct setting of the ring contactor 28 for the button contactors with respect to the pairs of fixed contacts, and also prevents relative turning between the ring contactor and the bushing 33. The bushing 33 is coaxially and slidably carried by an internal cylindrical extension 38 (Fig. 8) of the housing 10, such extension 38 having an external flange 40 on its inner end formed as an integral part of the housing 10.

The inner end of the bushing 33 is formed with a flange 41 to seat against the flange 40 as an abutment to oppose the biasing action of a coil spring 42 compressed between the flange 41 and the ring contactor 28 whereby the latter is held biased against the contact disc 17. A series of circumferentially spaced lugs 43 formed integrally with the ring body provide a suitable support and positioning means for one end of the spring 42.. (See Fig. 13.) It should be noted also, that while the contactor ring 28 is generally circular in form certain portions of the ring are off-set axially to other portions thereof. For instance, the button contactors 30, 31 and 32 are disposed in one vertical plane while the spring positioning lugs are axially off-set thereto in another, providing added resiliency to the contactor mounting resulting in smoother operation thereof. As thus assembled the ring contactor 28 is always spring pressed into contact with the disc 17, but with all of its contactors between the disc mounted contacts out of contact therewith in the normal OFF position of the ring contactor 28.

In order to turn the ring contactor 23 about its axis (which latter is coincident with the axis of the cylinder 16) to either selected ON position, the bushing 33, here termed the actuator, is formed with two slots 44-, preferably, diametrically opposite and extending parallel to the axis of the bushing, in order to seat two complementally shaped prongs 45, which project inwardly from a tubular switch knob 46. This knob 46 is mounted in the relation shown at the outer side of the dash panel 47 and surrounds the lock cylinder 16. The knob 46 is rotatably supported in the cylindrical housing extension 33 by the aforesaid prongs 45 and is interlocked with the panel 47 against axial displacement by arcuate transverse grooves 43 provided in the respective prongs 45". In this connection it should be noted that the panel opening 47a is shaped to provide stops to limit the turning of the knob so that the relation between the ring contactor and the disc contacts will not be disturbed. Also the outer exposed portion of the knob forms a hand grip, here shown as in the form of a hexagon for easy manipulation. periphery is provided with a radial shoulder 49 to contact a lug a projecting from the inside of the housing at the proper location to define the limit position of the switch.

For the purpose of releasably locking the bushing 33, i

in both of its ON positions, the flange 40, is formed with an arcuate camming track 50, of hill and dale or notched contour, which is juxtaposed to the inner face of the flange 41 for interfitting relation, in the present instance, with three position holding teeth 51 projecting from the face of the flange 41, each tooth being complementally shaped to seat in a notch of the track 50. Since the bushing 33, or actuator, is biased towards the track 50, the teeth 51 really act as pawls to retain the switch in a selected position, though permitting the knob 46 to turn the actuator to further compress the spring 42 wherupon the track 50 cams the teeth 51 to ride over the hills in order to snap into a newly selected position.

To limit the turning angle of the actuator its From the foregoing it will be apparent that a novel switch unit has been devised wherein two circuit control switches have a common control point giving access to .an ignition cylinder for key operation and to a lamp circuit selecting actuator by a hand knob.

In the present preferred embodiment of the invention the ignition switch construction is of the type shown and described in the copending application, Serial No. 348,734, filed April 14, 1953 in the name of Walter W. Miller, now Patent No. 2,715,661, issued August 16, 1955, to which reference can be made for specific details. For present purposes, detailed description seems unnecessary, as by reference to Fig. 8 it will. be seen that turning movement of the cylinder 16 is transmitted by an integral tang 52 to a bridge head 53 having rearwardly extending legs 54, to rock a switch plate 55 to a selected circuit closing position. A coil spring 56 is compressed between the head 53 and the plate 55. A position locator pin 56 extends transversely across the legs 54 to be biased against a fixed cam track 57 as fully described in the aforesaid pending application. Thus as the key turns the cylinder to select a circuit, the pin 56 rides out of a low point on the track and snaps over into another low, each low point corresponds to a switch ON position, and since the pin is biased to low points it forms a releasable interlock for the parts.

It will now be apparent that a complete unitary combination switch for the selective control of each of a plurality of electrical circuits, such control being manually operated from a common hand manipulating location.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A combination ignition and lamp switch, comprising a housing, a voltage source terminal contact and a plurality of motor circuit terminal contacts internally arranged in one end of said housing, a contactor for selectively connecting said motor circuit contacts to said voltage contact, actuating means for moving said contactor to a selected closing position, a voltage source contact and a plurality of lamp circuit terminal contacts internally arranged in the other end of said housing, a contactor for selectively connecting said lamp circuit contacts to said lamp voltage contact, actuating means for moving said lamp circuit contactor to a selected circuit closing position, means accessible from the same end of said housing for respectively manually operating said two actuating means, a fixed member internally and transversely disposed in said housing between said two actuating means, and means between each actuating means and said member for releasably holding a contactor in a selected position.

2. A combination switch according to claim 1, wherein said holding means respectively includes two hill and dale cam tracks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,020,155 Phillips Mar. 12, 1912 1,118,024 Lawrence Nov. 24, 1.914 2,438,970 Glogau Apr. 6, 1948 2,502,952 Jacobi Apr. 4, 1950 2,679,557 Miller May 25, 1954 

